


Senpai Princesses

by MeltyRum



Category: Persona 3, Persona 5, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-07
Updated: 2020-01-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:00:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22155925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeltyRum/pseuds/MeltyRum
Summary: Makoto visits Haru at her apartment so that she might vent about some of Akira's recent activities.
Kudos: 6
Collections: Boku no Hero Academia x Persona





	Senpai Princesses

She was surprised to see how shabby the complex looked. It was… almost stereotypically cheap looking—the kind of ragged apartments that seemed to appear mostly on television, lacking any sort of lobby; the landlord probably just lived in one of the units, and the apartments themselves had no security other than the doors which led inside them. This was the sort of place that made Makoto acutely aware of the fortune she enjoyed in her own circumstances. So she was not wholly prepared to see that this place housed one of her friends which, until recently, she had thought was one of the more fortunate and prosperous members of their group.

After she had nestled her motorcycle into a snug parking space and locked up her equipment, she took to the stairs which ran up one side of the building, stepping past the net-covered garbage piled up on the corner. A boy across the street waved to her as she ascended the steps; she returned it, wondering if he recognized her—or the tenant she was visiting. At least the neighborhood seemed friendly enough.

When Makoto found the door she was looking for, she took her elegantly wrapped little parcel in one arm and announced her arrival with a few knocks.

It wasn’t long before Haru came to the door, greeting her with a toothy grin. “Mako-chan! Please come on in,” she said, holding the door and stepping aside.

Makoto obeyed with a smile, stepping inside and discarding her boots. “Good afternoon, Haru. It’s not much, but a Fukuoka antenna shop opened up by our apartment, and I thought you might like some regional specialties, so...” Makoto unwrapped the box, offering it once she had stepped out of the genkan.

“Thank you! That’s sweet. There’s already tea at the table, so make yourself at home. I’ll pull the snacks out of this right away!”

“Sure. Actually, funny thing… that robot was there, too. Aigis? I didn’t think I’d see her shopping on her own. Was she looking for something…?” Makoto wondered, primarily to herself.

“Well, I suppose we’re nearing the season for it!” responded Haru cheerfully as she headed toward the kitchen. “Or perhaps she was built with an appreciation for Kyushu.”

Chuckling, Makoto followed Haru into the apartment, finding the interior a bit more welcoming than expected, if still a little cramped. She could only imagine the amount of things Haru must have left behind when getting her own place. But other than a tea set and a plant, there wasn’t that much in the way of material possessions. She couldn’t help but smile at the sight of the kotatsu, though, which looked quite inviting…

Not a bad space for one person, she decided. But not something she’d want to try sharing with Akira.

“Sorry it took me so long to visit. Looks like you’ve adjusted rather well, though,” Makoto observed, stepping into the living area to take a position at the table.

“Oh, don’t worry! I know it’s nothing that special,” she giggled. “And I know it’s a little insensitive to say, but it’s been quite the adventure. Oh, if you’re going to sit, make sure you—”

No sooner had Makoto begun lifting the table’s futon than a furious blur dashed under her arm and pounced at her shins, wrapping itself around her leg and gnawing weakly at her jeans.

Or… maybe not weakly so much as playfully?

“Well, I suppose there’s no point in warning you anymore,” said Haru, sounding rather amused.

“This must be the Haru-chan I’ve heard about,” said Makoto critically, watching as the cat stopped its play-fighting long enough to meet the eyes of its prey and judge whether or not she had succumbed to the attack. Makoto took this chance to slowly extend a hand toward her, which was greeted with some furry bats of protest, though the claws had been thoughtfully retracted; since this meant her leg was now free, Makoto victoriously resumed seating herself beneath the kotatsu, smiling complacently.

Haru-chan ceased her attack at this junction, apparently taking Makoto’s shortened posture as a gesture of deference. Makoto allowed her to climb up into her lap, letting the cat press its cheek into her palm after a quick sniff.

“She was a stray?” she asked, sounding impressed.

“Yes!” replied the rather-more-human Haru, who stepped into the room with a tray of unpackaged goodies; she set these down beside the kettle, from which she started to pour them some tea. “Apparently Shouto-kun found her one day on his way here and it wouldn’t leave him alone, so… somehow it became my responsibility,” she added, giggling.

Smiling, Makoto accepted her cup from Haru. “I see. Friendly to her guests, yet also a bit vicious. It seems the name might have been an apt one, although ‘Noir’ would have been less confusing.” She stroked at the fur behind Haru-chan’s ears, letting the cat get comfortable.

Haru laughed. “You’re not the first one to say something like that, actually. Fortunately, she’s ended up becoming a pretty good roommate. She seems to like everyone, too… and I guess I can’t complain about Shouto-kun’s name choice—but anyway, I’m guessing you didn’t come here to talk about my cat! Is there something particular which brings you here, Mako-chan?”

Makoto shook her head, replacing her teacup on its saucer after a quick sip. “No, not at all—it’s just been a while since the two of us have spoken one-on-one, and it was a good excuse to see your new abode. That said, I’m sure there’s plenty we _could_ discuss,” she added. The truth was that she’d just gotten tired of stewing in her own thoughts—some of which she didn’t really want to share with Akira just yet. Something told her that Haru would be a good listener at a time like this.

“Alright then, what’s on your mind?” asked Haru invitingly, having some of her own tea and drinking—somehow—so gracefully that it seemed almost practiced.

“Quite a lot, actually,” Makoto admitted. “But—setting that aside for now—since you mentioned Shouto-kun, how is he doing? He has to spend most of his time on campus these days, doesn’t he?”

“He does,” she conceded, her smile thinning out a little. “It’s made getting together with him a little bit more complicated, since there are times where they’re required to remain in their dormitories—curfew and all that. That wouldn’t be so bad, but visitors aren’t really welcome, so the only time we can meet is in the window where he’s allowed to be out. Add my own school and work on top of that and it gets… a bit tricky.”

“That does sound kind of hard,” Makoto started, searching Haru’s face. “You should let me know if you end up feeling lonely. Even when romance wasn’t in the equation, the Phantoms met pretty frequently, but that’s getting more difficult too… especially in the fallout of All Might’s retirement.”

“Right; it’s not like I have all the time I would like, either—so I’m glad you could come today! Oh—that reminds me: I’m not sure if you’ve yet heard about Shouto-kun’s results in the provisional license exam.”

Makoto shook her head, reaching forward to take one of the individually wrapped cookies from the table. “Not yet. But I can see you’re not exactly glowing with pride just now; did he…?”

Haru nodded. “Unfortunately, he wasn’t granted the license. I won’t share too many of the details, but he seems to understand what his weaknesses were.”

Makoto sat in thoughtful silence for a moment, chewing over that information as she nibbled around her snack. “I’m a little surprised, to be honest. Endeavor’s son, of all people—and he was so serious when we met him at UA, too. It’s a little hard to imagine failure for someone so diligent and capable.”

“I thought the same thing! There will be supplementary lessons at some point, but I can’t say if that comes with a license or not, or when that will be. Anyway, the reason I bring it up is because it means he’s trying even harder at school.” Haru let out a brief sigh.

“Which means he’s spending even less time outside of it,” Makoto guessed. “I suppose that makes sense.” She sat back, propping herself back on her palms and stretching a little. “We were pretty busy as students too, so I suppose it’s to be expected; only the dedicated get to stay in the heroics program.”

“Yes. I’m sure this will just be a speed bump, so… I’m still proud of him,” declared Haru, her full smile returning. “Since we’re talking about him, can I ask you a question, Mako-chan? Just from one Phantom to another. And… from one woman to another, I suppose.”

Interested, Makoto sat forward again, wondering if this was going to start veering into girl talk—not that she minded; it had been a while! “Well, the Phantoms’ only pair of senpai princesses _do_ need to stick together. What sort of question is it?”

Haru giggled a little, nervously stroking the rim of her teacup. “Well, I’m sure you know it’s not a very well-kept secret that Shouto-kun and I are seeing one another, which means there are plenty of people who see it as inappropriate. For the most part, I don’t let it bother me, but I’m curious about your perspective: what do you think of my being with someone so young—as a teammate?”

Nodding, Makoto took a generous sip of tea in order to buy herself sometime. It wasn’t as if the strangeness of the situation had _never_ occurred to her, but it also wasn’t really her business. At any rate, she doubted that it really cost the team any fans. Leastwise, it certainly didn’t cost them more than it _earned_ them, since there were probably all sorts of young men who found the whole situation very exciting from a wish-fulfillment angle. “Noir found to enjoy the company of young men” would certainly catch the attention of many—particularly those young men in question.

“If I can answer directly, I do find it a bit strange, since he’s still got some growing to do. That said, Akira was about the same age when I became first interested in _him_ , and we’re honestly not much older than Shouto-kun. I can’t claim to have any strong moral issues with it, but… I think you should be careful, Haru. You might need to limit your friendliness in public, considering his age—though I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you that.”

Haru exhaled subtly, relaxing a bit. “I thought you might say something like that, Mako-chan: you’re not too different from your sister, after all,” she laughed. “You have my word that Shouto-kun and I will always be discreet, whatever it is we might be doing together.”

Smiling and nodding, Makoto decided she’d better not ask. “Look at us! Chatting about boys like we’re still in high school, too. But while we’re still on the subject: other than the availability and visibility issues, how has it been? Dating a teenager, I mean.”

“Hmm.” Haru glanced up at the ceiling thoughtfully, smiling to herself. “Not bad! He may have some maturing to do, but he’s already a dependable man, if you ask me. He’s kind and gentle—while also being serious, just like you said. I’m also glad to be a friend for him, since I don’t think he has too many close ones. He’s nice, but isn’t exactly ‘friendly’, you see. When we’re together, I barely notice his age, even if he is less experienced. And...” she trailed off, hesitating briefly as something else came to her mind.

After a few moments, Haru shook her head resolutely, apparently having steeled herself to speak her mind. “And I hope this doesn’t make me sound desperate, but it’s also just nice to… _finally_ be with someone. I know many people could say the same thing, but I felt so unlucky when it came to romance. I’m sure you know how it went with Fai, even if we’re still friends. And after that, there was...” Again, her voice faded into a mumble, hands wringing together nervously.

Makoto held her tongue, knowing Haru well enough to understand when she just needed to gather her thoughts. In any case, she was quite interested, having realized she didn’t know much about the status of Haru’s love life in that period between Fai and Shouto. While she had plenty of sympathy for Haru, it was also hard to deny how different their situations had been: the Queen had found her Joker early on, and the rest became history. She didn’t envy the difficulty of Haru’s position by any measure.

Haru put a hand to her chest, as though to test her heartbeat. Haru-chan had also vacated Makoto’s lap and wandered over to sit beside her, apparently sensing some kind of heightened emotion. “Did you know that I… used to be interested in Ann?”

Makoto felt her body go stiff at the revelation, not entirely sure she had heard correctly. She had some more tea, grasping for some way to respond. “You and Ann? I had no idea… I mean, I didn’t know that you had interest of that nature to begin with. In women, I mean,” she added dumbly, wracking her brain for a better response. “I suppose it’s hard to blame you, honestly; Ann is really something else. There was about a week in school where I was curious, too,” she admitted, chuckling uneasily.

For an instant, the leaked photographs of Ann’s “cheating” flashed through her mind, but she promptly shuffled them into a more shadowy corner of her mind, feeling slightly ill at the reminder.

“Does she know?” asked Makoto eventually, to distract herself from the silence.

Haru nodded in response, stroking Haru-chan slowly. From the strained smile on her face, Makoto gathered she was reliving a memory most bittersweet. “Yes; I told her not long after she started seeing Akechi. I think I just wanted to make sure she knew, and that it would be off the table for good. Thankfully, she took it very graciously, so we’re still friends—I was pretty relieved!” Her laughter sounded genuine, which Makoto gratefully took as a signal to relax.

“Well, it’s true that nothing seemed to change between the two of you; that would have been a difficult confession to make, though. I’m a little surprised you never told her while we were in school.”

“That’s true; I just never worked up the nerve, I suppose. And after Fai, I think I was a bit discouraged—not that I intend to make excuses. In any case, that’s all in the past! And I wouldn’t trade away Shouto-kun, so I’m happy enough. But I think you may be the first person I’ve told about this, so… thanks, Mako-chan.” She allowed Makoto a triumphant grin.

Makoto felt herself relax a bit in turn, trying not to dwell too much on this new side of Haru she’d just learned of. “No thanks required, Haru-chan; I’m honestly just glad you trusted me with this—and pleased to see you so happy, of course.”

“Very happy!” Haru exclaimed, looking relieved and pleased. “Phew… I feel a bit lighter now that I’ve said it. I think that’s all that’s new with Shouto-kun and I, though. I guess that makes it your turn—anything you’d like to share regarding Joker?” she asked, the anticipation clear in her smile.

Makoto chuckled nervously, feeling as though she’d been caught in something illicit. “Actually, Akira _is_ something I came here to talk about. Yusuke’s been on my mind lately, which made me think back to when he left the Phantoms.”

Haru nodded her understanding, and Makoto was certain she already knew where this was going. “It feels like it was so long ago, doesn’t it? But it really hasn’t been that long; it still feels like I’m getting used to his absence. But what does that have to do with Akira-kun?”

“Back when Yusuke separated from us, he mentioned that Akira had sold us out to that information broker. I mean, he’s _technically_ right on that count, but I tried to be supportive of Akira anyway. There’s no telling what Baofu might have done if they hadn’t struck a deal, after all, but… I suppose I’ve been starting to question myself a little, as time goes on.” Makoto went silent, a little nervous to be piloting the conversation in such a direction, feeling a bit small and dirty and treacherous.

“This might be awkward to ask you, Haru,” she continued, “but do you think Akira was a poor choice? To be our ‘leader’, I mean.”

Haru smiled sadly, evidently taking some pity on her. “That is kind of difficult to answer, knowing your relationship with him, but if you were to put me on the spot for an answer… I would say I don’t regret having him as our _de facto_ leader, but I think he made the wrong call there, and that his plan at the Diet building was ill-conceived. Like you alluded to, it’s hard to say that his arrangement with Baofu is helpful. He gets to learn anything he wants about our lives, while we get… I’m not really sure what; it’s not as if I’m interested in his services, as a hero.”

Makoto wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or disappointed, but she found herself agreeing. “Right. And with the embargo on our information only lasting two years, I can’t help but wonder what will happen to us when the time comes. He’ll have built up a stockpile of everything we’ve been doing for that time—so a glut of our personal information becomes public? Perhaps… _perhaps_ Akira’s choice made sense at the time, but at this point it’s hard to see why it ever seemed like a good idea.”

Haru’s brows rose, either surprised or impressed. “I didn’t think I would hear you talk about it this way, Mako-chan. I’m assuming that everything is alright between the two of you, but it sounds as though you’re worried for him.”

“I _am_ worried for him! That’s precisely it,” she agreed, feeling herself grow slightly agitated to hear herself speak this way. “Isn’t he being reckless? Then _and_ now? I know that I should be trying harder to keep him in line: after he got his sentencing, the very _first_ thing we did was talk to Futaba about tampering with the anklet. There’s something wrong with that—a group of heroes behaving this way—and I _tell_ him to be a good boy and serve his probation, but it somehow always comes out as some kind of joke—as if I don’t mean it, or as if I have no _worries_ about him patrolling the streets like he’s just asking for his license to be permanently revoked… but for some reason I can’t express it the way that I want to. I haven’t been able to ask him to just sit still, or to take off that ostentatious outfit and worry about his studies.”

Makoto took a breath, realizing she was saying a little too much—realizing she was telling all of this to entirely the wrong person, andthat she should just be telling Akira this herself. What did it say about him and her and their relationship that she chose to come to Haru with it first?

She hastily shook that thought from her mind; this situation might be an obstacle, but she had no reasons to doubt the strength of their relationship.

Haru hesitated, apparently nervous at choosing this as a place to interject. After quietly sliding her teacup across the table, she rose to her feet and came to join Makoto on the other end of it, placing a gentle hand to her back.“I think this is all reasonable, Mako-chan. Naturally, it would be safer for Akira to take a break during his probation, but I also know we _both_ understand why he does it. None of us became heroes on accident, so that hunger for justice is completely understandable.”

Makoto nodded, feeling a bitter taste in her mouth. As she contemplated her friend’s words, she leaned against her, taking consolation in her warmth. “You’re right, Haru-chan. But don’t you think I should be doing more to stop him? Am I making a mistake by ‘allowing’ him to continue taking risks like this?”

Haru shook her head, giving her that motherly smile again. “No, Mako-chan. In the first place, it’s not as though you can control his actions. And if you ask me, I would imagine that you don’t object to his vigilantism because—in addition to understanding his desire to do so—you’re obviously in love with him. It makes sense that you wouldn’t want to cage him up, in that case.”

“But… I _should_ cage him up, if I have the power to. Shouldn’t I?”

“I don’t think I should make that decision for you—or for him. But I agree the prudent thing would be to keep from doing anything illegal. If that means discouraging any breach of his probation, then… I think that would be the right decision.” She paused to take her tea from the table, indulging before delicately setting it back down with a little noise of satisfaction. “If it helps, maybe you can think of it this way: while he’s helping people now, losing his license could lose him the chance to help thousands more sometime in the future.”

Makoto considered this, letting her fingers get lost in Haru-chan’s fur, who had wandered back her way once Haru had come to sit beside her. She was glad to have Haru’s agreement, but also still wondered if this made some sort of betrayal—if she had made a mistake by going _around_ Akira instead of going _to_ him. Makoto always liked an argument involving numbers, though, and Haru was right: rescuing thousands in the upcoming years at the cost of leaving _other_ heroes have to handle the issues of the present day.

“I suppose it’s a bit like… an investment,” Makoto concluded, her voice tentative. “I’ll talk to him, Haru. Thank you for hearing me out, though—it’s been helpful, and I think you’re right.”

“Can I ask why this has been troubling you, Mako-chan? You’re usually so unflappable!”

She nodded, reaching for another snack and wishing she’d brought a Buchimaru-kun plush to squeeze (the life out of). “I think it worries me more than usual because… I’m considering retiring a little earlier than originally planned. From the hero life, I mean.”

Taken aback, Haru stared, her mouth opening and closing once or twice as she searched for something to say. “You mean you want to quit being a hero, like Yusuke? _”_ she demanded, certainly referring to Yusuke.

Makoto raised a disarming hand, realizing it had come out a little incorrectly. “Not anytime soon! Nothing sudden, the way his was. I just mean… I _am_ considering a career in criminal justice one day; not necessarily in public prosecution, like my sister, but something in the same sector. And with All Might’s retirement, the League of Villains, that whole Stain business…” she trailed away, letting out a weary sigh. “In some way, it starts to make heroism look a bit less appealing.”

“I’m… not entirely sure I understand,” Haru replied, a worried frown weighing on her features. “In the wake of all that, it seems like heroes are needed more than ever.”

“No, you’re absolutely right. I don’t feel that now is the time for _less_ heroes.” Makoto paused to stroke her chin, wondering how to express what weighed on her mind. “Maybe it’s because we were born into it that it never bothered me that much until now, but isn’t the emphasis on popularity in our industry a little… strange? While things have settled in the meantime, our initial public approval came—in no insignificant part—from our debut as a hero _team_ , regardless of all else, including the lives we’d saved or the criminals we’d thwarted. It was play-acting, and we were all adored for it; plus, that necessity to be fashionable continues even now: just look at how Akira and I were playing off of Akechi and Ann’s little advertisement jaunt. Isn’t that all a little too glamorous?

“That being the case, how much of a hero’s popularity is simply unearned? Who are we missing in the ‘lower ranks’? There are probably hard-working heroes who save just as many lives who don’t receive same kind of attention as the top one hundred. And… I know it’s not easy to quantify lives saved and villains crushed and work out the impact of all that—I understand why popularity has become our metric—but when non-heroic activity can affect a hero’s popularity just as well, it all starts to look like a… like an illusion to me.

“And I know this is something you’ve realized as well, Haru. This all must have crossed your mind in some way, too, right?”

Haru had refilled their teacups as she listened and was in the middle of unwrapping a little shortbread when Makoto finally finished. “I suppose I can’t really deny that I’ve pondered it too. Being a group that helps people is always what came first for us, after all, and while I don’t mind a bit of playfulness among our group—or other heroes—it’s true that it can be hard to gauge what matters most to people—or to other heroes. Stain has brought these kinds of doubts to many people, it seems.”

“I’m glad that you understand. This past year has just been a bit… sobering, I suppose. Not that I intend to discount all of the good that we have—demonstrably—accomplished, but it’s the sort of thing that makes me wonder if a future with the police would make more sense. It might be nice to shuffle out of the public eye, to be honest.”

Haru nodded sympathetically. “But, as you said, that won’t be for some time, right?”

“Right,” agreed Makoto. “And anyway, it’s not impossible that I’ll change my mind and stay in the hero industry.” She watched as Haru-chan wandered to the corner of the room for a lie-down, apparently bored of her guests.

“Then I think we’ll just have to do our best while we’re here,” said Haru, giving Makoto an encouraging pat on the back. “I agree that what we have isn’t perfect, but hopefully it will get us through to the future—where it can be improved upon.” She looked thoughtful for a moment, her eyes looking to the ceiling as she had another sip of tea. “Even heroes with bad attitudes get popular, though, so… even if it costs us some fans, we can always bring attention to it while we still have peoples’ attention.” Haru’s smile radiated satisfaction with this proposal.

“I think that’s something I can get behind,” replied Makoto, smiling as Haru picked some crumbs off of her shirt. Her sigh—this time—was a sigh of relief. “Now it’s my turn to feel reassured. Thank you for listening, Haru. I didn’t mean to come here and end up unloading so much.”

“Trust me when I say that I’m always happy to listen,” she remarked, chuckling. “Then—not to move from one heavy subject to another—you said Yusuke was on your mind before; is that because of what happened to him…?”

“Sort of,” Makoto confessed. “This is going to sound incredibly strange off the back of what we were just discussing, but I was actually thinking about how nice it would be to be an entire team again—with Yusuke back and everything, even if he still chose to focus on his artistic career.”

“It’s a bit sad, no longer being a unit.” Haru took their cups, arranging them onto a tray with the teapot before getting to her feet and taking the whole affair back into her little kitchen nook. “I didn’t expect we’d be disbanding just a few years out of school.” She paused as she put the kettle on for another boil, realizing what she’d just said. “Er—not that the Phantoms _have_ disbanded. I just mean… it doesn’t feel good, losing even one of us.”

Makoto suppressed the urge to groan. She knew most of them were feeling a bit distraught over Yusuke’s departure—over the erosion of their team, both in public and in private. “On the other hand, we’re a relatively small brand. It’s just the nine of us—plus Futaba and Mishima on the management side.” Restless, Makoto got to her feet, stepping into the kitchen to prop up the wall while the other made them some more tea.

“I suppose that doesn’t _have_ to be the case,” surmised a pensive Haru. “I know we’re all a bit young for it just yet, but maybe it makes sense for us to have our own agency? A real one, I mean—with an office and sidekicks and interns and all of that, too. It’s not as though the Phantom name needs end with us.”

Blinking, Makoto crossed her arms as she considered that. “I’m a little surprised, Haru. But I suppose you were raised by a businessman, after all. I can’t say how everyone else will feel about it, but I have to say I like the idea. At the very least we should try to replace the roles that we lose, I would think. Something tells me that Akira would _love_ to get himself a poor young intern to play around with…”

This earned some laughter from Haru. “I’m sure. Anyway—we wandered off topic again!”

Briefly bewildered, Makoto took a moment to recall how the ended up on this subject. “Right. Yusuke.” She let out a heavy sigh, reflecting the weight of current events. “So many incidents lately. First Akira’s probation, then Ann’s attack, and now—worst of all, as far as I’m concerned—this disturbing business with Yusuke.”

“It’s… probably the worst thing we’ve had one of us go through, I agree. I don’t know if I told you yet, but I actually spoke with Yusuke shortly after he first expressed concern for that boy—in that same neighborhood,” Haru started. The crestfallen look on her face gave Makoto a pang of guilt. “Perhaps if I had helped him more closely, it wouldn’t have happened.”

“I didn’t know that. And I’m certain it’s not your fault, Haru, but…” Makoto cut herself off and shook her head imperceptibly, deciding not to complete that thought. Instead, she came close and put a hand to Haru’s shoulder. “You know what? Let’s save this for next time. I don’t… really feel like talking about it right now. Does that seem fair?”

Haru, her smile still sad, seemed to agree. “Yes, it’s a deal. I’m sure there are happier things we can talk about.”

Makoto was sure her relief must be palpable. “Good,” she said. “In that case… I was going to mind my own business, but now you have me curious just _how_ close you are with Shouto-kun…”


End file.
